Agritecture: A Transcalar Organic Coding Framework for Soil as a Biomaterial

Both agriculture and architecture often utilize earth as a primary medium of production. Farmwork’s intricacies are rooted in the complex nature of soil, which involves a dynamic interplay of biotic and abiotic particles at different scales. Similarly, construction of earthen architecture necessitates material processing to achieve building performance requirements. Considering current efforts to address climate change globally via the water, energy and food (WEF) nexus, we present a transcalar material design framework for architectural applications that make use of living soil reciprocally for both agricultural cultivation and building construction. Coding earth as a biomaterial highlights interactions extant within living soil and opens pathways to rethinking biotechnical aspects of soil as a dynamic bioactive material capable of linking food and shelter: serving agriculture and architecture in symbiosis.